Citizenship questions and environmental crisis in the niger delta in the case of property, from simple fine or damage to complete expropriation or total destruction. This conflict has cost the nigerian government dearly. Pdf the coastal area of the niger delta is the home to oil explorations and exploitations in nigeria. The conflict in the niger delta region of nigeria has become global as it is wont to, given the fact that the major actors in the crisis are transnational the multinational oil corporations play very critical and fundamental roles in the crisis as. Oil extraction, dispossession, resistance, and conflict in. An evidence of the fact that the crisis in the region is far from being over is the latest series of violence emanating from the area as a result of the grievances and activities of the group called niger delta avengers. Crisis in the niger delta 5 the most pressing development needs are for better roads, water transport, power, and telecommunications. Tarila marclint ebiede instability in nigerias niger delta. Interactions of stakeholders in the context of violent conflicts. An attempt will be made in this paper to analyse the multilevel conflict in the niger delta region, with a view to identifying the parties involved, the nature of their involvement, the fundamental issues of the conflict, and the objective conditions in. It must be understood, however, that the concept of conflict is multidimensional.
A number of militant groups have begun allying themselves to local politicians with electoral aspirations. It was found that a conflict economy comprising an intensive and violent struggle for resource opportunities, inter and intra communalethnic conflicts over. Oil and gas companies and community crises in the niger delta 7 companies that fail to assist in providing social amenities. Delta conflict is the product of human selfinterest. Also, the issue of employment of youth and graduates of oil producing communities is a recurring variable in the conflict. Prepared for the world development report 2009 kate higgins summary. Natural resource valuation and damage assessment in nigeria.
First, although the niger delta desperately needs additional security, any military response must be careful and measured. Mend operates primarily in the niger delta region in southern nigeria, and though it represents one of the two largest armed groups in nigeria, its attacks have resulted in far less violence. This, entwined with political conflict, has sometimes led to political manipulations and delineations with the aim of influencing wealth allocation. Between 1997 and 2005, conflict was largely confined to the niger delta region. Causes of conflicts in the niger delta region of nigeria. Ending unrest in the niger delta crisis group africa report n5, 5 december 2007 page ii 2.
Towards ending conflict and insecurity in the niger delta. Isaac boro, a young delta revolutionary, proclaims a niger delta republic to comprise mainly the delta s majority tribe, the ijaw. The main objective of the niger delta social and conflict analysis ndsca is to increase the banks understanding of the social and conflict issues influencing development in the niger delta. Conflict in the niger delta more than a local affair summary neither nigeria nor foreign donors are investing enough to end violent conflict in the niger delta. Oil extraction, dispossession, resistance, and conflict in nigerias oilrich niger delta. Specifically, it explores one of the government of nigerias gon responses to the marginalisation of. Understanding the armed groups of the niger delta council on.
Nonoil investors began showing fresh interest in the delta, private security protocols relaxed, and foreign government staff visited the region again. Oil exploitation and conflict in the nigerdelta region of. The niger delta, a sensitive ecosystem rich in biodiversity, has witnessed considerable violence as a result of the tense rel ationship among oil companies, the nigerian state, and oilbearing communities. Abstract the purpose of this paper is to examine the peacebuilding initiatives in africa with particular emphasis on the amnesty program in niger delta, nigeria and to find out whether it has achieved its goal of restoring peace and stability in the region. The federated niger delta ijaw communities fndic led by chief. Ending unrest in the niger delta africa report n5 5 december 2007. Great hydrocarbon wealth has been extracted over the past decades, yet delta residents continue to live in underdeveloped and polluted circumstances. It has had disastrous impacts on the environment in the region and has adversely.
The natives who are fighting for the emancipation of the niger delta are organized in several groups which include ijaw peoples assembly ipa led by mr. Pdf understanding the niger delta crisis within the. Conflict management in the niger delta a case study of the amnesty programme the niger delta area is the most fragile region in nigeria. Oil and gas companies and community crises in the niger delta. There has been an increase in communal violence in the niger delta since 2016. Niger delta armed conflict and the ddr process of the nigerian amnesty programme daniel e agbiboa university of oxford, uk abstract my central aim in this paper is to evaluate the outcomes of the amnesty programme established in mid2009 by the nigerian government as a way of resolving the groundswell of violence in the oilrich niger delta region. English usaid is helping the nigerien government and local partners create economic opportunities and increased civic and political participation for nigerien youth to help undermine extremist messages and encourage stability in niger and the region.
In 2011, the amnesty likely contributed to improved elections in the core niger delta states rivers, bayelsa, delta. It is estimated that more than million barrels of oil have been spilled in the niger delta since oil production began. Fuelling the niger delta crisis executive summary and recommendations less than a year before nigeria holds its third national elections since the end of military rule in 1999, tensions are running high in the southern niger delta. Bibiliography oil industry has brought poverty and pollution to niger delta. It is located in the southsouth region of nigeria and extends over about 70,000 square kilometers, making up 7. Republic of nigeria niger delta social and conflict analysis. The dysfunctional state of nigeria center for global. The niger delta people volunteer force ndpvf cum people solution force psf led by alhaji mujahid dokuboasari. Thus, the niger delta is regarded as the twelfth richest area in oil resources worldwide klett et al. Understanding the armed groups of the niger delta final. The unrest in the niger delta that has continued for more than two decades poses a threat not only to the people of the region, but to the stability of nigeria and to the surrounding west africa.
During this period, conflict has escalated significantly while governance indicators, for the most part, have stubbornly refused to improve. What are the reasons for this increase in violent conflict. The western niger delta town of odioma is in a setting. Maybe its because the conflict between antioil insurgents and the government has gone on for so long, some 20 years, that theres a bit of niger delta fatigue. The niger delta is home to about 140 different ethnic groups in the nine states included in a broader definition of the region.
Pdf this paper discusses the nature and dynamics of the niger delta conflict and traces the structural origin of the conflict to a dysfunctional. Niger delta armed conflict and the ddr process of the. In early 2014, usaidnigeria invited the office of conflict management and mitigation cmm to conduct a. Conflict related deaths likely dropped, though no good data exist. If significant progress could be made on these fronts, much of the sense of injustice and marginalization on the part of the delta population would be assuaged.
Although initially the conflict was over land, fishing rights and cultural differences, oil has. The study seeks to capture the impact and challenges of the six year old amnesty programme in postconflict niger delta region. In the case of the niger delta conflict, ghana provides an appropriate location for negotiations. Before the discovering of the black gold crude oil, agriculture was the dominant occupation of the people in the area. Improving stakeholder e ngagement and community impact of oil. Economic reintegration, which was the main focus of the government is important because unemployment and poverty are central to the niger delta conflict. The presence of oil and gas in the region makes it the goose that lays the golden egg, thus making the region. Hence, conflict is unavoidable in human affairs because society is formed on the basis of conflict and conflict resolution to move forward and make individuals in it better persons.
The niger delta conflict is one created and exacerbated by the oil and natural gas riches of the region. In the crude oilrich niger delta, media reports say that on september 8, soldiers seeking to arrest members of the militant groupniger delta avengersdestroyed 43 houses and. Pdf causes of conflicts in the niger delta region of. Mitigation abstract the nigerdelta area of nigeria, coincides approximately to the southsouth geopolitical zone of the country. Environmental impacts of oil exploration and exploitation in the niger delta of nigeria. Regional inequality and the niger delta policy brief no 5. Oil exploration and exploitation has been ongoing for several decades in the niger delta. Environmental impacts of oil exploration and exploitation. Tarila marclint ebiede instability in nigeria s niger delta. This brief explores regional inequality in nigeria, focussing specifically on the niger delta. Pdf oil as a source of political conflict in niger delta researchgate.
Causes and cures of oilrelated niger delta conflicts. Since colonial times, control of warri has been the principal casus belli in a lingering conflict among the three ethnic groups itsekiri, ijaw and urhobo. Oil, resource conflicts and the post conflict transition in the niger. The economy of conflict in the oil rich niger delta region of nigeria. Discourses on elite mobilization of conflict proceed on the basis of the assumption that ambitious wily. As part of a larger project titled amnesty for peace in the niger delta region of nigeria indepth interviews with youths, leaders, community members, elders and relatives of exmilitants were carried out. Mining corporation, fsg, the imaginenations group, and the niger delta partnership initiative, and on advisory councils for abbott, the abraaj group, clinton global initiative, rockefeller foundations bellagio center, exxonmobil, ge, initiative for global development, and the international finance corporation. In common with other parts of nigeria, this ethnic diversity has of. An xray of intergovernmental relation conflicts and. Pdf the changing phases of the niger delta conflict. Conflict fatalities, state level per capita, 2016 aprjune. Lewis 3 n igerias travails, while hardly unique within the developing world, are surely exceptional in their scope and persistence.
Abia, akwaibom, bayelsa, cross river, delta, edo, imo, ondo and rivers. After 2006, conflict rapidly spread to the northern states of yorbe and borno. Stop all attempts to divide and coopt armed militants by offering contracts and appointments to leaders and instead encourage them to create and articulate a common and realistic political agenda. It was found that a conflict economy comprising an intensive and violent struggle for resource opportunities, inter and intra communalethnic conflicts over resources and the theft and trading in refined and crude oil has blossomed since the 1990s. I have just modified 2 external links on conflict in the niger delta. Niger faces security threats from internal and external extremist groups and continues to be a major focus of the transsaharan counterterrorism partnership that usaid implements throughout the sahel. The niger delta team also conducted some field work in edo state. Thus, the role of oil in the niger delta conflict is paradoxical. An assessment of the niger delta crisis and nigerias. This paper attempts to define conflict and conflict resolution, trace the origin of conflicts in the region and the efforts made so far to ameliorate the situation. An attempt will be made in this paper to analyse the multilevel conflict in the niger delta region, with a view to identifying the parties involved, the nature of their involvement, the fundamental issues of the conflict, and the objective conditions in the niger delta that help to sustain the conflict. Apriljune 2016 2 partners for peace foundation for partnership initiatives in the niger delta the fund for peace data for map and bar charts from acled and nigeria watch formatted and integrated on p4p peace map.
It is believed in some quarters that conflict is a good instrument for resolving crisis in the society provided that it is not allowed to escalate into violence. Who condemned the nigerian governments long history of detaining their critics. The intensive extraction of oil and gas in the niger delta threatens not only nigerias. While nigerian officials opt to buy shortterm ceasefires, such as the 2009 amnesty process, other governments spend too little in money and manpower to grow local civil. The post amnesty programme and sustainable peacebuilding. Usaid is helping the nigerien government and local partners create economic opportunities and increased civic and political participation for nigerien youth to help undermine.
The first steps in this report were taken more than a year ago, well before ill health weakened and then led to the death of former president umaru musa yaradua. Therefore, there is the need to seek for other measures. For them, it is the developments during the different phases of the international economy that have dictated the pace and direction of the crisis. Mass poverty, economic stagnation, endemic corruption, political instability, weak institutions, and social conflict can be found in many countries, and viewed in. Oil and violence in the niger delta isnt talked about. Ethnic conflict and sustainable development in nigeria.
Its goals are to help prevent and resolve violent conflicts, promote postconflict. More than 4,000 oil spills have been recorded in nigerias niger delta over the past four decades. The study puts particular emphasis on the increase in violence within the niger delta since the second half of the 1990s. The struggle for the control of the nations resources have also, to some extent been based on the regional cleavages. The 2016 niger delta conflict is an ongoing conflict around the niger delta region of nigeria in a bid for the secession of the region, which was a part of the breakaway state of biafra. Pdf on may 31, 20, sarabjit kaur and others published oil as a source of political conflict in niger delta find, read and cite all the. Environmental conflict management in the niger delta, nigeria by okechukwu ibeanu abstract. Niger delta, and the area has suffered severe environmental damage over the last 50 years of oil exploitation. Poverty and inequality in nigeria has strong regional concentrations, resulting in significant levels of regional disparity. The current conflict in the niger delta arose in the early 1990s over tensions. Intervening from a historical perspective, ogbogbo and muojama 2008 situate the niger delta conflict within the dynamics of the international economy.
Pdf oil spill problems and management in the niger delta. Causes of conflicts in the niger delta region of nigeria as expressed by the youth in delta state article pdf available in procedia social and behavioral sciences 5. Oil exploration and current state of the niger delta niger delta is made up of nine states namely. Conflict is prevalent everywhere and in every facet of life the world over, in many different countries. As much as one million barrels worth of daily oil production has been shut in due to violence. In addition, the niger delta has natural gas reserves estimated at about 182 trillion cubic feet tcf ogj, 2005, making nigeria the largest natural gas endowed country in african and among top ten in the world. The effectiveness of seven indicators of csr as perceived by the oil corporations and the oilproducing areas in the resolution of the brutal conflicts in the niger delta were empirically. Emphasis is placed on dialogue rather than violence. There are lessons that can be gleaned from more than 20 years of recurrent conflict in the niger delta and nigeria more generally. Policy notes causes and cures of oilrelated niger delta conflicts february 2009 using sophisticated propaganda and information technology, and its modus operandi as a loose coalition of autonomous militant groups operating across the region. This leads to the additional question of why this increase in vio. Since then it has been substantially revised and updated by the authors for a wider audience concerned with the future peace and development of nigerias niger delta region. Conflict in the niger delta united states institute of peace. Oil exploitation and conflict in the nigerdelta region of nigeria 29 nigeria has resulted in environmental degra dation, continual destruction of flora and fauna, deprivations, unemployment, galloping inflation, widening by the gap between the poor and the rich, insufficiency and abject poverty.